I loved Carol's idea of incorporating the belly button in the adoption story, how your belly button connected you to your birth mother, and how you can remember that every time you look at your belly button. So when Maya asked last night at dinner (we went out to celebrate her birthday) for me to tell her "about all my birthdays," I thought I'd work that in. I didn't get very far, though. I said, "Five years ago today you were born in China, and that's what make's today your birthday. You were connected to your birth mother in her tummy until it was time for you to be born." Maya interrupted, "NO! Not about THAT! Tell me about the balloon birthday!" (We have a picture of her first birthday in China (she was with her foster family then), and she's standing next to a bunch of balloons). Hmm, not willing to go there, it seems. So we talked about her first birthday party (balloons is all I know), her second birthday party (teddy bear picnic in the park), etc. Just the parties, ma'am!
While we were talking, Zoe was scribbling on a napkin. She drew a picture of a birthday cake and wrote "Happy Birthday" -- a card for Maya. I was pleased to see that, since Zoe had been pretty rotten to Maya all day, since Maya was getting all the attention. Then Zoe wrote out the questions, above. I'm sure my mention of Maya's birth mother spurred the note, but I'm enough of a cynical mommy to think she was also yanking my chain to get her fair share of attention!
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